Drew Dober working to get CSAC clearance to fight at lightweight on UFC Lincoln card

Drew Dober is scheduled to face Jon Tuck at UFC Lincoln in a lightweight bout. But that weight class has yet to be officially approved by the Nebraska Athletic Commission (NAC), MMA Fighting has learned.

Dober was moved up a weight class by the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) last year after he weighed 18 percent over the contracted lightweight limit on fight day at UFC 214. The CSAC 10-point weight-cutting reform plan states that the commission can recommend a fighter move up in weight if he or she comes into fight day more than 10 percent above the contracted weight.

Dober can fight again at 155 pounds, the CSAC medical document said, but must be cleared to do so by a doctor. In that UFC 214 fight against Josh Burkman, which Dober won by first-round knockout in Anaheim, Calif., Dober weighed 183 pounds — gaining 28 pounds back from the weigh-in to the fight.

Brian Dunn, the NAC’s deputy athletic commissioner, told MMA Fighting that there is a CSAC note in the Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports (ABC) database that states Dober should not fight below 165 pounds unless a physician clears him to drop down again to 155. Dunn said Nebraska will honor CSAC’s ruling, unless Dober meets the CSAC guidelines, “proving that he could safely make the weight.”

“I told [Dober] that if he is cleared by CSAC, I would allow him to compete at 155, but if not, it would have to be at the 165 documented minimum,” said Dunn, who is the first vice president of the ABC.

The ABC recognizes a 165-pound weight class in the Unified Rules of MMA, but the UFC does not have that division.

Currently, Dober is working with CSAC to get cleared for 155, per California commission executive officer Andy Foster.

“We are closely looking into the request to remove Drew Dober’s recommendation to fight at a higher weight than the 155lb lightweight class,” Foster said in a statement. “Without getting into specifics, CSAC staff and physicians are aware of this, and will make the determination soon. The Commission is focused on healthy weight management without the need to resort to extreme weight cutting followed by rapid rehydration to make an assigned weight on a bout contract. The Commission will act responsibly in this matter.”

A request for comment was not returned by Dober. The UFC and Tuck’s manager Jason House declined comment on the situation.

After CSAC doctors said he must move up, Dober fought at welterweight against Frank Camacho at UFC Charlotte in January, winning by unanimous decision. Dober and Camacho each earned a $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus for the performances.

Dober told MMA Fighting last year that he feels “stuck in the middle” between lightweight and welterweight — too short for 170, but too thickly built for 155. He’s a major proponent of a 165-pound division in the UFC.

“I’m a thick guy,” Dober said at the time, with a laugh. “I’m a Flintstone. I’m a dense individual. … We’re stuck in the middle. We’ve just gotta try to make the best decisions.”